Self Care is not just about face masks and external beauty, although taking care of yourself physically is important, self-care also includes feeling comfortable with yourself and taking care of your mental health as well as the physical. Self-care is about the little things such as skincare, drinking water, meditations, affirmations, and anything else that allows you to focus on yourself. It is important in order to maintain your physical and emotional health, sometimes we neglect to take care of ourselves; your own health should be your first priority over any goal. Sometimes, it may be hard or overwhelming to keep up with your own mental and physical health on top of your other responsibilities, but this section includes little ways you can do that to help you get started.
Skincare
Having a consistent routine is a key component for good mental health and can be as small as washing your face. Some good influencers and skincare experts to look into and that will teach you more about your skin are James Welsh and Hyram.
Some essentials in simple skincare to have:
Sunscreen!!!
Face wash
Body Lotion
Face Moisturizer
To get started, you can do some research on what works best for your skin, everyone is different and it is good to do some trial and error with different products if you can.
Drinking Water
Water is one of the key components of exercising good self-care. Dehydration can cause mood changes, unclear thinking, and headaches. Consistently drinking at least eight, eight-ounce cups a day is a productive habit to keep every day and helps both mentally and physically.
Plant Nanny is an app that helps you track your water intake by watering a plant and allowing it to grow with every cup of water you drink. Plant Nanny also works with the nonprofit Trees For the Future to plant real trees all over the world! We recommend Plant Nanny as one of many ways to record your water intake, please refer to our “Staying Hydrated” section to know why drinking water is important.
Mindfulness Meditations
There are many different ways to meditate throughout your day even if you have a busy schedule. People meditate for many reasons, but meditation is a vital part of self-reflection and becoming more comfortable with yourself. Meditation can be anything from sitting with your thoughts for five minutes or doing a thirty-minute guided meditation with a particular focus. Daily meditation helps to bring out inner peace and control over the mind.
A good app that can be used for meditation is Headspace. Headspace is a self-care app with guided meditations and its own assortment of mental health resources and an algorithm specialized for you. Headspace is free in the App Store, however, most of its features come with in-app purchases. There are many free guided meditations on Headspace that you can take advantage of.
Affirmations
Affirmations are positive articulations that can assist you with overcoming and managing intrusive or negative thoughts. Affirmations help with stress management and self-improvement and are mostly just simple phrases that do not take too much time out of your day.
A study conducted by researchers Emily Falk and Christopher Casio at the University of Pennsylvania explains the science behind the benefits, “[the researchers] used functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) to find that self-affirmation activates well-known reward centers in the brain. These areas-the ventral striatum (VS) and ventromedial prefrontal cortex (VMPFC) - are the same reward centers that respond to other pleasurable experiences such as eating your favorite meal or winning a prize”.
How can I find an Affirmation that is right for me?
Affirmations have many different uses and are therefore all different. You can come up with an affirmation that is best suited for you and what you are specifically trying to achieve/improve, or you could use one of our 10 general affirmations.
State of Mind has compiled a list of 10 affirmations that may be useful to get started on self-improvement.
I am at peace with who I am as a person.
I give myself permission to do what is right for me.
I create a safe and secure space for myself wherever I am.
I don’t chase, I attract what belongs to me will simply find me.
I accept my emotions and let them serve their purpose.
Negative thoughts only have the power I allow them.
My presence is my power.
I am in the process of becoming the best version of myself.
Everything in my life is working out for my highest good.
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